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Thursday, March 06, 2014

Leafs 3, Rangers 2 (OT): Wrapping up (a long day)

Martin St. Louis’ first day as a Ranger certainly would have been more happily memorable had it come with a victory but the initial takeaway after his first game was twofold.

First, in a lineup blessed with speed with Carl Hagelin and Chris Kreider, St. Louis still stands out. He may not be faster than Hagelin, few in the NHL are, but he’s equally adept at setting up in the right places for scoring chances and creating opportunities for himself. Granted, this was after a game in which Brad Richards, centering those two speedsters, acknowledged the Rangers spent too much time on the outside.

The second takeaway is that St. Louis should have no issues blending into this dressing room. For as humble as he was in thanking the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and its fans for a wonderful 14 years while acknowledging the disappointment he’s caused with his decision to request a trade to the Rangers - part of the equation, St. Louis finally acknowledged, was his initial Team Canada snub by Lightning/Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman, he also exuded an acceptance in what he needs to bring to the Rangers and a confidence he can do that.

He’s 38 but he does not play like that.

St. Louis was a minus-1 in 20:11 in his Rangers debut with three shots, two shots blocked and one missed shot. And while he’s listed at 5-foot-8, like the similarly-sized Mats Zuccarello (who actually looks bigger on the ice than St. Louis) St. Louis does not shy from physical confrontations. There he was in the third period engaged, briefly, with the dangerous Dion Phaneuf.

“There were a lot of emotions today,” St. Louis said. “I was blessed to play in one place for 14 years. I’ll cherish those years. Tampa’s been a home for my family and I have nothing but great memories. The fans have always been awesome to me. I kind of grew up there so to speak. I grew up as a player and I’m thankful for everything the Lightning has brought to me and my family. It was a tough day for my family but we are all excited to be here. This is an opportunity for me to play in a big-market team and it’s going to be a challenge, obviously. Being somewhere for 14 years, it’s just different, just getting ready for the game, just the little things that you’re used to. New locker room, new teammates, got to get acclimated. I like what they have here. I think tonight was a gutsy comeback. Unfortunately we didn’t get the extra point but I was happy to come here and just break the ice, I guess. I was able to fly in and get that first game over with.

“I always felt if I was going to leave Tampa, the first place I’d want to play would be in New York,” added St. Louis, who keeps his offseason home in Greenwich, Conn. “I’ve been fortunate to be in one place for that long. I’ve gone through a few different managements and at some point in time I’ve thought about maybe trying to move. It didn’t happen at those times and, to be honest, Steven Stamkos came in the picture and I got a chance to play with a pretty great player. You weigh the ups and downs at that time. New York is a place I wanted to come if I wasn’t going to play in Tampa. It’s been in the back of my mind fror a long time. But I wouldn’t trade those 14 years in Tampa for anything. I have a house here. I spend my summers here. i think this is a place that really fits my family.

“I know this is going to be a challenge for me,” St. Louis continued. “But I love challenges and I like to rise to the occasion and be put in that position. This is a chance to play the game in one of the biggest markets and I know what comes with it. When things are good, it’s awesome. There’s going to be tough times but you’ve got to live through it and you’ve got to face it. I am my biggest critic and I’ve always felt that way. And that’s one of the reasons to keep pushing it.”
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The reaction to the trade from within the Rangers’ room was a strange mix. The Rangers didn’t just lose a teammate, they lost their leader. Callahan was a forceful captain who certainly imposed his will and influence on the room, meaning that in a good way. Brian Boyle has spoken repeatedly of learning every day he’s been around Callahan and Derek Stepan, who seemed shaken by the trade when it happened, said Calllahan was someone he could “lean on.”

On the other hand, the Rangers’ players are well aware of the talents and scoring ability St. Louis brings to the lineup.

Coach Alain Vigneault said once the game started, though, he didn’t worry about his team being shell-shocked by the trade.

“I do believe it’s logic that any time you lose an important piece like Cally, it will have some effect,” Vigneault said. “But we played the game, the shock is over, now it’s just getting ready for the next one.”

“Obviously, his career speaks for itself,” Marc Staal said of St. Louis. “He’s an offensive player, we have a lot of respect for him. He’s a good leader.”

And said Henrik Lundqvist, “It was a little bit of a shock. There has been a lot of talk about Cally but it’s tough to see him leave. He’s been a great teammate and a friend and great player for this team for so many years. In the end, this is the way we decided to go as a team and I’m really excited about having Marty. He’s such a skilled player and one of the best in the game. it’s such a mixed feeling right. Having the opportunity to play with a player like that, but at the same time seeing a good friend and teammate leave. I’m not sure how to feel right now.”

Staal added it was “shocking” and Ryan McDonagh offered that “You’ve got to move on. We had an afternoon to soak it all in and understand what happened.”

Brad Richards, reunited with his former Lightning teammate said his new line with St. Louis and Hagelin certainly has potential but, at times tonight, they made too many passes.

“We are trying to talk our way through it and get used to each other and get used to the way we play here and I think you will see a lot better chemistry as we go,” Richards said.

The Rangers did struggle somewhat in the faceoff circle, winning 33 of 72 draws (46 percent) while Stepan won just 9 of 27 (33 percent).

And Derek Dorsett had a second rough return to the lineup - he also played in Saturday’s 4-2 loss at Philadelphia after breaking his left fibula at Pittsburgh on Jan. 3. In the third period, Dorsett was replaced by Dominic Moore on Derick Brassard’s line.

Vigneault said Dorsett was not injured, he just thought Dominic Moore, after assisting on McDonagh’s shorthanded goal and scoring one of his own, deserved more ice time. And it came at Dorsett’s expense. Dorsett could well find himself out of the lineup against at Carolina if Mats Zuccarello (left hand) is able to return.

It will also be interesting to see if Vigneault chooses to insert newly-acquired defenseman Raphael Diaz. Anton Stralman certainly struggled again tonight as he was a minus-1 in 18:58 and Vigneault could insert a right-handed shooting defenseman for a right-handed shooting defenseman. Then again, Kevin Klein logged just 12;20 on a third pair with John Moore (11:08) so maybe that veteran comes out.

The Rangers practice at noon on Thursday before traveling to Raleigh, N.C. for Friday night’s game against the Hurricanes, another crucial game in the playoff hunt, now with 19 games remaining. Also, getting on the road quickly may be the best thing for St. Louis’ integration into the Rangers’ team structure.

Lastly, from the Rangers:

- The Rangers notched two shorthanded goals in a span of 79 seconds early in the third period, with both goals being tallied while killing the same penalty. The last time the Blueshirts registered two shorthanded goals in a game was Dec. 10, 2011 at Buffalo. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Rangers tallied two shorthanded goals in less than 90 seconds was Feb. 21, 1981, when Don Maloney notched a pair of shorthanded goals in a 34-second span against Washington.

- Ryan McDonagh tallied his 10th goal of the season in tonight’s contest, making the Rangers the first team in the league to have 10 players register at least 10 goals for them this season.

- Dominic Moore registered two shorthanded points, including one goal and one assist, recorded three shots, and posted a plus-two rating in 13:24 of ice time. His two shorthanded points mark a single-game career-high, and he has now tallied six points (two goals, four assists) in his last nine games.

- Ryan McDonagh notched a shorthanded goal and three shots in a game-high, 29:48 of ice time. The goal was his 32nd point of the season, which ties his single-season career-high established during the 2011-12 season. McDonagh has now recorded a goal in each of the last two games, and became the 13th NHL defenseman to reach the 10-goal mark this season.

- Derek Stepan tallied a shorthanded assist to extend his assist streak to four games (five assists), and logged 16:49 of ice time. He has recorded 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in the last 14 games. The assist was his 30th of the season, the second time he has reached the mark, and his 40th point of the season. Stepan has reached the 40-point mark in each of his four NHL seasons. He leads the Rangers in assists and ranks third in points this season.

- Brian Boyle registered a shorthanded assist and logged 11:16 of ice time in the contest. He is now four points shy of his 100th career NHL point.

- Martin St. Louis recorded three shots on goal and logged 20:11 of ice time while making his Rangers debut, following his trade from Tampa Bay earlier today.

- Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves and is now 22-20-4 overall, including an 11-12-4 mark at home this season.

- Brad Richards led the team with four shots and won a team-high, 12-18 faceoffs (67%) in 19:00 of ice time. He leads the Rangers and ranks 11th in the league with 206 shots on goal this season.

Posted by Andrew Gross on 03/06 at 07:14 AM

Just the Facts:

Lundqvist - 2.56 GAA, .914 SP

Talbot - 1.75 GAA, .938 SP

That’s a significant difference.

Posted by Waadayano on 03/06 at 03:57 PM

Pointing out that stat tells me you are willing to walk away from your francise stud goalie for his shakey start this year (basically, the first bump in his career).

No less, the guy gave up one goal in regulation last night. (excluding penalty shot).

Team is not capitalizing with goals when they have the momentum in these games and its coming back to hurt them.

Looking at their current make up, I think they will put together a bunch of wins the rest of the way. But its a tight run and not a heck of a lot of games left.

Getting Zucky back will be significant. Dorsett had no business on that line last night. And really shouldnt be playing on the fourth line either. Not that he is horrible.

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 03/06 at 04:44 PM

Agreed on Dorsett, TWIO. Nice player for what he is, and a hard worker, but subtracting MZA and adding Dorsett to that line doesn’t do them any favors in the scoring department. Dorsett, Carcillo and Boyle need to be in a timeshare, and JT Miller belongs with Brassard and Pouliot until Zuccarello comes back. Otherwise you’re negating the offensive ground we gained by picking up Marty St Louis.

Posted by DaveB on 03/06 at 05:52 PM

Dorsett is “ok” and has the occasional good game, but he hasn’t played as “advertised”. If the Rangers can move him before the draft, they should. Would much rather see Miller or even Fast up with the club.

Posted by CJ on 03/06 at 06:02 PM

St. Louis looked great his first game, Problem was Hagelin couldn’t finish I think AV liked putting Kreider on that line a guy with a hard shot and accuracy. Richy-st. Louis- Kreider will be a good line going forward.

Anyone notice what was up with Nash last night-every time I looked he was losing an edge or taking a spill.

Posted by Elliot on 03/06 at 06:22 PM

Elliot, I see that in hagelin too. He’s got this great upside with explosive speed and he is good with the puck, but he doesnt finish enough. Is it his shot? or where he often shoots from? I really like him and want to give him more time, but I woulda thought he;d be more lethal by now.

CJ, if we get Zuc back, where does miller fit in? I don;t know if he is a fourth line player.

Was it me? Brad Richards really looked invigorated by MSL last night. I really liked the amount of talking I saw on the bench by Marty with his linemates. I can see us really getting to like this guy in a short time. Skill and intangibles.

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 03/06 at 07:06 PM

hopefully 3rd line returns to pre-olympic group and 4th line remains the same with miller and dorsett as backups for each line respectively

1st and 2nd are up in the air with the entry of st louis and the 1st line pretty much falling flat as of late

Posted by _pete on 03/06 at 07:54 PM

I was quite disappointed that Richards kind of lolly-gagged his way back into the defensive zone on the OT goal after the Leaf guy blew right by him .. and the second defensman wasn’t in front…
so there was the goal scorer all by his lonesome when he got the biscuit. And Nasher had a nice view of all of it too .. he wasn’t busy !! It did happen fast but that’s a weak excuse…
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hags will be all right ... those older guys will tell him to shoot more and he will…
Nash must turn up the heat to the level he exerted before the olympic break ... this team is not a lock to make it in this year ...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I was really surprised they pulled Moore out of the game the other night to make a spot for Dorsett.. IMO, Carcillo and Moore both need to be in there and Dorsett will have to bide his time and wait it out…
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
New defenseman Rafi Diaz has been pretty much a full-timer in the 6-man rotation on his old club. I expect that he will be given a big opportunity to play ASAP here.
I give Stralman props. ... he may get an offer that Slats will out-right refuse to match.. While he does deserve an increase, I don’t see it going to big on the strength of a decent 2nd half last year and making it in as the 6th man here this year…
Boyle should see a few offers too .. he’ll have to decide to stay for a little less or walk .. I guess a lot will depend on which clubs make offers to these two Ranger UFA’s
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Cally will land on his feet ... sure it’s a little distressing to leave the team that brought you into the NHL and you went on to Captain them.. but somebody is going to give him 5 or 6 years at over 5Mil per… He is in the catbird seat pretty much. and this season, If he skates with Stamkos, he may forget all about NYC!! He can still turn down non-contenders… He’s gonna be fine…

Posted by Ranger Rick on 03/06 at 08:23 PM

A few fascinating things that I learned after the trade deadline yesterday:

1. Callahan asked for a NMC, possibly what caused the trade to happen (although I always suspect Sather to move fast in player transactions).

2. If NY was the only option for St. Louis, was there room for Sather to come out with a better deal? SJ was also apparently in the mix, who were they offering? Havlat probably.

3. It really seems being snubbed out of the Canadian Olympic team is what caused St. Louis out of TB. No wonder Yzerman is not coming back to Team Canada. I’m be reluctant to cheer on a guy who punishes his NHL GM for being snubbed out of the Canadian team, but with greatness comes egos, or something. Gives me a terrible taste in my mouth nonetheless.

Posted by Jay on 03/06 at 09:04 PM

Posted by Ranger Rick on 03/06 at 02:23 PM
Posted by Ranger Rick on 03/06 at 01:52 PM

since you recopied to newer thread so will i

it is not a good idea for both dmen to go behind the net. the 2 forwards drifted towards the boards to provide an ** for a pass.

cally will go for the money and years. he’ll go to buffalo relatively close to where he grew up

stralman is 4th dman not 6th

Posted by Jay on 03/06 at 03:04 PM

sather said it was more of a future type deal with the other team so that would not be havlat

Posted by JJ on 03/06 at 09:21 PM

Jay,

I would think there is more to it than the snubbing of the Canadian Olympic team. Theres likely a history there. I thought I remember him saying he wanted to come to NY a while ago. Thay may have set off Yzerman.

But look, MSL was in tampa for a looong time. He won a cup with them. He won lady bing a few times. He appears to play the game the right way and is respected by other players.

Lets watch the guy and see what he brings to the NYR club. Hopefully the rangers didnt sacrifice their future too badly. But for this year and next, they just became a better squad by swapping Cally for MSL. If the rangers don’t make any kind of deep run while MSL is a Ranger, then, all things equal, it would have been a failed move.

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 03/06 at 09:39 PM

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 03/06 at 03:39 PM

That’s more than fair, thanks.

Posted by Jay on 03/06 at 11:21 PM

Waiting, I just meant that Dorsett’s departure at the end of the season would be good and that I would rather Miller and/or Fast were up with the club right now to replace Zucc than to see Dorsett get slotted on the 3rd line—- and of course I want to see some serious competition next year for a couple of positions on the team.

About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.